After hanging tough in a loss against a good Sinton Pirates team last week, the Rio Hondo Bobcats saw some positives.

Trailing just 14-7 at halftime, the Bobcats eventually fell to the Pirates 35-7. Sinton went all the way to the state semifinals last year and is always a good measuring stick for the Bobcats.

Now 2-1 on the season, Rio Hondo will face another road test when it travels to Bill Pate Stadium on Friday to take on the Hidalgo Pirates.

So far, it’s been a case of good vibes for the Bobcats.

The Cats allowed just 247 yards to the high-powered Pirates, forced four turnovers and sacked all-star QB Tyler Handson four times in what was the latest in a stellar showing for their tenacious defense.

Offensively, the Bobcats have come around and have two good weapons at quarterback in Eli Pitones (166 yards passing) and Joshua Gonzalez (314 total yards) through three games.

Now they’ll face a Hidalgo team which fell 38-17 at Port Isabel last week to drop to 1-2 on the year.

Eluid Castillo was a standout by recovering fumble for a touchdown and catching an 82-yard TD bomb late in the game for a Pirate team which put up 300 total yards on the Tarpons.

The Pirates compete in District 16-4A Division I and as always boast good size and speed. Hidalgo lost to Sharyland Pioneer in Week 1 before defeating Progreso in Week 2.

Non-districtWESLACO at HARLINGEN

Certainly many fans are scratching their heads when looking at the Harlingen Cardinals.

The Cards fell to 0-2 last week in a last-minute loss to McAllen High at Boggus Stadium. Down to their fourth quarterback, the offense struggled to find consistency and points on a rainy night.

Totaling just 227 yards of total offense, Harlingen’s strength is its defense and it was on the field quite a bit against the Bulldogs.

It is unclear who will start at quarterback for the Cardinals as they play in their final non-district tuneup.

Weslaco has been a roller coaster thus far, losing to Harlingen South in Week 1 before sneaking past Donna 14-13 and dodging a last-second field goal try in Week 2. Last week the Panthers fell big to Corpus Christi King at home.

The Panthers are another team expected to fare better than their 1-2 mark shows. This is a pivotal game for both clubs who are trying to find their footing going into district.